DaFoe's happy again
DaFoe's happy again
Calm is restored after Dafoe speaks to Ftorek
OTTAWA - Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell wasn't very happy with the comments goaltender Byron Dafoe made after Wednesday's awful 8-4 loss to the Rangers in New York.
Dafoe was upset at being left in for all eight goals and said so, but he met with coach Robbie Ftorek before last night's game and said everything has been smoothed over.
''I think I kind of let my emotions get the best of me,'' said Dafoe. ''I had a good talk with Robbie before the game and everything is straightened out. I have a better understanding of his philosophy with goaltenders and I'm totally fine with it. I was very frustrated my last couple of games. At the end of the game, I had just kind of had it with myself but I had a talk with him and everything is good. I said some things I probably shouldn't have said, at least not without talking to Robbie first.''
Ostensibly, Ftorek would rather have the goalie who started the game finish it, no matter how the club is playing.
''He said if you're the goalie of the night, he expects you to play the whole night,'' said Dafoe. ''That's different than other coaches. Mike Keenan is kind of the extreme the other way. A lot of coaches are kind of in between. This is the first time I've had a coach who would much prefer to let you go the distance. Knowing that now, I didn't have to look for any insight into why it was being done. Now, I know. Personally, I'm a big believer in that. I hate getting yanked. But [against the Rangers], it was a rough one for all of us and it just kind of put me over the edge.''
''Everyone has a gripe, everyone on the team has a gripe,'' said O'Connell. ''Whatever it might be, it's better to just bring it to the attention of the coach and go that way. I don't think it does anyone any good to bring it out in the press. We talked about it and I don't think it's the right thing to do.''
Ftorek has shown himself to be the anti- Keenan when it comes to pulling goaltenders. Where Keenan occasionally has swapped goalies several times in the same game, Ftorek isn't of that mind-set. When John Grahame, who was in net against the Senators last night in the Bruins' 4-3 loss, was clearly struggling against the Minnesota Wild Nov. 8, Ftorek had him ride it out. He wasn't torched the way Dafoe was, but Ftorek kept with his philosophy when he left Dafoe in against the Rangers.
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Lip-locked
O'Connell said he isn't able to pin down why the Bruins have only managed one win in their last seven games (1-3-0-3). ''I haven't put my finger on exactly what's going on but it looks to me that we're just not playing as a unit right now,'' he said. ''There's a breakdown here, then there's another breakdown. We're not solid like we were. We have to get back to basics. Faceoffs, the little things right now are beating us. We've got some guys who can score but it's not going to happen unless we work.'' O'Connell said he's continuing to work the telephone to see if there's anyone out there who can help the club (an offensive defenseman?) but so far, he hasn't found anyone. ''I'm looking around,'' he said. ''I'm looking for anything. Not just defense. I'm looking for anything that can help us. A lot of teams don't want to change right now and they can't change.'' ... The Bruins' power play has converted just three times in its last 39 opportunities. Their penalty killing, which had been at the top of the NHL but slipped to sixth entering the game, surrendered three power-play goals to the Rangers and two to the Senators... The Bruins return home to face the Keenan-led Panthers tomorrow (7 p.m.) at the FleetCenter.
